


Rules, Rules, Rules

by AthenaMay24



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 04:38:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4046275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaMay24/pseuds/AthenaMay24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What will NCIS do with all these rule breakers? A Tiva and McAbby fic that focuses on Gibbs' Rules.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Burst Your Bottle

Ziva David stood looking through the one-way glass into the interrogation room where Gibbs was tearing into a suspect. She felt Tony’s presence behind her, just like she always did when he was around. As of late, her game was catching him in lies. It’s quite amusing. “I don’t like this guy,” she said, motioning to the suspect.

“Why? He give you the creeps?” Tony paused briefly and then continued sarcastically, “Oh! That’s right! You’re Ziva David, you don’t get the creeps, you give them.” Ziva rolled her eyes, but he couldn’t see because her back was still to him. “Or do you just not like the way he was staring at your butt?”

“No, Tony, I do not. But I've had to deal with a lot of obnoxious men. I'm used to it,” she said with a pointed look at Tony.

“I—I would never stare at—”

“Liar,” Ziva cut him off smoothly, “How many time do I have to tell you that you can’t lie to me?”

“C’mon! How could you possibly know I was lying? I didn’t look down and to the left, and you can’t see me anyway,” Tony protested.

“I know you’re lying because I saw you looking at my butt just this morning when I was stretching,” Ziva finally turned around to face him, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I mean, come on, you were bending over right next to me! Even McInnocent wouldn’t be able to resist,” Tony defended himself.

Ziva snorted and turned back around to watch the sleazy suspect, “McGee isn’t as innocent as you think. And like I said, I can deal with obnoxious men.”

For a minute, Tony seemed to not know what to say, but then he started up again, “Okay, Zi—va, if you’re so smart, where else have I been staring?”

Ziva let out another half laugh. “I think I can name a few places,” she retorted confidently.

“I bet you’re wrong. I stare at your curls—”

“Curves?” she broke in, confused, thinking that this was another English language thing she didn’t get.

“No, curls. Your hair, Zi. Um, there is also your dark eyes, especially that cute way you roll them at me. There’s also your hands, partly because I'm sometimes afraid of what you’ll do to me with them, and because they’re graceful. I like to look at all of you. Is that obnoxious?” there was a peculiar note in Tony’s voice that Ziva couldn’t pinpoint.

“Why? Tony, what do you mean?” Ziva had frozen when Tony started describing her that way, but now she slowly turned around to face him.

“Because you’re beautiful. Not just attractive,” Tony looked into her bewildered eyes for a minute before he walked quickly past her and out of the room.

Gibbs came in before the door could completely swing shut. Ziva didn’t have time to school her expression before he noticed something was off.

“What’s going on with DiNozzo, Ziva?” Gibbs asked, glancing at her sharply.

“Nothing,” she smiled, finally succeeding in getting the right expression, “He just informed me that he stares at my butt.” She shrugged and moved to the door.

“Hey, Ziver,” Gibbs called and she stopped, her hand on the doorknob, “Do I need to talk to him about Rule 12?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ziva said, and fled, still trying to unravel things herself.

 

~o0o~

 

               Two hours later, they were walking toward their respective cars in the parking lot. Tony stopped her before she could get in hers. “Ziva, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, I couldn’t get to you before you had to let him paw all over you,” he said, to her immense surprise.

               She had to let him ‘paw all over her’? She didn’t have to do anything, it was her fault she was flirting with the guy anyway. “Um, it’s fine? It wasn’t your fault . . ?” she said slowly, trying to figure out where he was going with this.

               “I know, but he was a jerk.”

               Ziva needed to get back in control of this conversation, “Like you wouldn’t have done the same thing if a desperate girlfriend found out her boyfriend was a cheat?” she snorted, knowing that she was being a bit cruel, but she wasn’t sure how to divert the flow of talk.

               “Maybe I would, but not to you.”

               “What?”

               “Nevermind,” Tony muttered and retreated to his car to drive away. It was only as she watched his taillights disappear that Ziva realized that he broke Rule 6.

 

~o0o~

 

               When Ziva got to her apartment, she paced around for a moment before making a snap decision and grabbing her keys, wallet, phone, and (after a moment’s deliberation) her gun. She didn’t even think about what she was doing until she was steeling herself to knock on Tony’s door.

               When Tony got to _his_ apartment, he stripped down to his underwear and prepared to crash in bed. He’d just finished brushing his teeth when he heard a tentative knock on his door. Figuring it was his landlord with another complaint, he threw open the door without checking to see who it was.

               “Oh, God, Tony,” Ziva averted her eyes, something she could honestly say she’d never done before. But now she was embarrassed that she’d even come so, muttering, “I shouldn’t be here,” she spun on her heel and tried to walk away, but Tony called her back.

               “Wait! Ziva, please come in,” he stepped out of the way and she silently walked past him and into his apartment. “What’s up, Zi?”

               “We need to talk,” Ziva said, taking in his apartment with a glance. She still wasn’t looking right at him.

               “Okaaay . . .” Tony said slowly. He started looking around quickly, scanning for any type of mess.

               Ziva noticed his jittery movements, “Do you—Is there another woman here?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

               “What? No! Just because it’s a Friday night doesn’t mean there is automatically a woman here,” Tony sounded defensive.

               “Well, there’s the fact that it’s a Friday night and you are half naked,” Ziva pointed out.

               “Oh. Right,” Tony looked down at himself. “Um, why don’t you make yourself comfortable and I’ll put on a pot of coffee and, uh, get some clothes.”

               Ziva perched herself on the edge of his couch and Tony rushed to the kitchen to start the coffee and then ran to his bedroom to grab some clothes. He slipped into sweatpants and a T-shirt, went to the bathroom and returned in time to pour the coffee. Handing Ziva a mug, he joined her on the couch. She took a small sip and clutched the warm cup in her lap.

               Tony waited a minute for Ziva to say whatever she came for, but when she showed no sign of it he prompted, “So . . .”

               “Why have you been acting strangely?” Ziva asked quietly, taking another sip of coffee before placing the mug on the side table.

               “What?” Tony squinted his eyes and tilted his head, “I think you’re thinking of McGee.”

                “Does McGee compliment me randomly? Does McGee break Rule 6? Did Gibbs ask me if he should talk to McGee about Rule 12?”

               Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “Gibbs has noticed too?” he asked, sounding resigned.

               “ _What_ has he noticed?!?” Ziva all but shouted, “What’s going on, Tony?”

               “It’s—I—nothing,” Tony said, leaning toward her without really noticing.

               Ziva sighed and tried another angle. “Why do you keep insinuating that I’m different than everyone else?”

               “Because you are. I—I think I—” Tony started, but before he could finish, and Ziva wasn’t sure how this happened, but before he could finish they were kissing. Ziva really had no time for thought as the kiss deepened and she felt her arms wrap around Tony’s neck and into his hair almost of their own accord, and she felt his hands hovering around her waist as if he wanted to put them there, but didn’t want to go too far. And, honestly, Ziva really didn’t care.

               But once she started reaching up his shirt, she _did_ care. What was she doing? Jerking backward, she pulled away from him, standing a few feet away with her back to him. Ziva wasn’t sure what just happened, but she had to get control of her emotions before she figured it out. She didn’t want Tony seeing her face while she was doing the figuring, either.

               Tony was really angry with himself. He hadn’t wanted any of this to happen, at least not this way. “I’m so sorry, Zi,” he said softly, still panting slightly.

               “You realize you’ve broken a Rule twice today? Not counting whatever that just was!” Ziva exclaimed, waving her arm for emphasis, but still facing the wall.

               “You want to know something? I don’t really care about Gibbs right now!”

               “Really? Because that’s my main question,” Ziva said, finally turning around. “What will Gibbs do to us?”

               “Gibbs won’t know,” Tony jumped off the couch and moved toward her.

               “Tony, Gibbs knows everything. He already asked me about Rule 12, and you haven’t—we haven’t even—” Ziva let out a frustrated sigh.

               “Ziva, I love you, and if Gibbs has a problem with it, he can fire me,” Tony said defiantly.

               “Gibbs will probably do more than fire you. And what about Abby? She’ll have a pasture day!” Ziva said thoughtfully.

               With an excited noise, Tony grabbed her around her waist and spun her around. When he put her down his hands probably lingered a bit longer than they should, but Ziva didn’t really care all that much. She was too busy trying to figure out why Tony picked her up in the first place.

               “Tony!” she admonished, but she was laughing nonetheless.

               “You—you love me!” Tony practically yelled.

               “What? How do you know?”

               “I just told you I love you!” Tony said as if this proves everything.

               “Yes . . . And?”

               “You worried about Gibbs and Abby! If you didn’t love me, you would have said that instead. How’s that for reading people, you Mossad lie detector!” Tony looked ready to throw her around some more, but instead he jumped around his furniture.

               “Tony! _Tony!_ “ Ziva snapped, “I hate to burst you bottle—”

               “It’s ‘burst your bubble’, Zi, and what bubble are you bursting?” Tony asked warily.

               “Nothing can happen with us,” Ziva said softly.

               “Why the hell not?” Tony demanded, looking at her intently.

               “Because things cannot change,” she said, “I’m sorry.” She looked down from his face and left without saying another word. Tony stared after Ziva for a long time, even when she was already gone.


	2. Is 'Floor-Snuggling' a Thing?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the more McAbby chapter, since the first was mainly Tiva.

Ziva was partly incorrect when she told Tony that keeping an inter-workplace relationship secret would be impossible. Abby and McGee have proven it difficult, not impossible. They’d been dating again for the past six months. After the first time they dated and drifted apart, they’d, well, they’d drifted back together. Working very hard to keep it a secret, they barely touched, even when they were alone in the lab.

               About a week after Ziva showed up at Tony’s door, McGee and Abby were working on a case, waiting for Major Mass Spec to finish processing a strange liquid from a crime scene. They spent the time lying next to each other on the floor, like Abby does with an overnight case, but instead of cushioning her head on Bert, she used McGee as a pillow. McGee himself wasn’t quite sure why they were staring at the ceiling, but Abby had wanted to show him something and then they got distracted and began talking about the past half-year, and what it held.

               “Timmy, when do you think we’ll tell Gibbs?” Abby asked quietly.

               “When do you want to tell him?” McGee asked carefully. He knew Abby felt guilty for keeping things from Gibbs, essentially a father figure, but he also knew that Gibbs would shoot first, ask questions later when it came to the happy Goth.

               “I don’t know. I feel like he deserves to know, but in no way does he need to know, you know?” Abby said in her typical confusing manner. But, strangely, McGee once again knew exactly what she meant.

               “What does Gibbs not know?” Ziva asked from behind them.

               “That McGee and I have been dating for the past six months,” Abby said casually. McGee stiffened in surprise beneath her.

               “Abbs—” McGee started and sat up, but Abby cut him off.

               “She’s guessed for a while. And she just walked in on our floor-snuggling. It’s not like I'm telling Tony. Besides, we only agreed to keep it a secret from Gibbs,” she said.

               “Is ‘floor-snuggling’ a thing, or just another Abby-ism?” Ziva asked.

               “The fact that you have to ask should answer the question,” Abby said. “But you won’t tell, right?”

               “Of course not,” Ziva reassured them both.

               “What aren’t you telling whom, Ziva?” Gibbs asked, appearing in the entrance in his usual abrupt style. McGee was very glad he and Abby had moved to a less incriminating position, although he would love the freedom to hold her at work. “And why are the two of you on the floor?” Gibbs continued, gesturing with the Caf-Pow in his hand.

               “Uh, it’s extremely comfortable, Boss,” McGee said, standing and helping Abby to her feet. He held her hand longer than required, but only Ziva noticed. She smirked at them.

               “You’re starting to sound like DiNozzo, McGee,” Gibbs said. “Whatcha got, Abbs?”

               “Uh, Major Mass Spec should be done . . . now,” a corresponding beep came from the machine. Abby quickly explained her findings to Gibbs, gave him the lead he needed, and waved as Ziva and McGee followed him out. “Go get ‘em guys!”

 

~o0o~

 

               That night, after the murderer was behind bars and all that was left was to file paperwork, Ziva paid a visit to the lab. “Hey, Abby, can I ask you something?” Ziva started without preamble.

               “Of course. . .” Abby paused. “This is about a guy!” she grabbed Ziva’s hand and pulled her down onto a rolling chair and took a seat beside her, “Shoot!”

               Ziva took a deep breath, “When did you decide that being with someone was more important than keeping your job or breaking the Rules? How do you know?” she asked, knowing that she was giving everything away in one breath.

               “Oh, my gosh, Ziva, I’m so sorry!” Abby said quietly, squeezing the other woman’s arm. “It’s Tony, isn’t it?”

               Ziva looked away and then back to Abby, “He told me he loves me and I—I could not hide my emotions enough to deny my own feelings.”

               “If he knows then why aren’t you . . . “ Abby trailed off uncertainty. Then she reached over and gave Ziva a hug. “You told him no, didn’t you?” Abby asked over Ziva’s shoulder.

               “Yes. I said I didn’t want things to change, but they have and I do not know what to do,” Ziva felt tears in her eyes as Abby finally released her from the hug.

               “Is it something Tony might do? I know he has a reputation but he wouldn’t run out –or around— on you. Not to someone he loves.”

               “How do I convince him he shouldn’t love me?” Ziva asked.

               “Why would you—”

               “I might be able to help with that,” came a familiar and angry voice from the doorway.

               Ziva spun around and jumped up. “Gibbs! I was just—”

               “Save it, Ziver, I heard,” Gibbs looked around, “Where is DiNozzo?”

               “Right here, Boss. Sorry, we took the stairs . . .” Tony came in, McGee a step behind. “Are you okay, Zi?”

               “DiNozzo, elevator. Now!”

               “Right away, Boss,” Tony said curiously, following on Gibbs’ heels.

               “What did Tony do?” McGee asked no one in particular.

               That knocked Ziva out of her stupor. “He fell in love in me,” she said over her shoulder, running after them. She made it to the elevator doors as they were closing. Sighing, she pressed the button and waited.

 

~o0o~

 

               “Boss, what’s this about?” Tony asked as Gibbs hit the emergency stop. He knew he must have done something serious, or he’d just have received a head-slap.

               “Are you harassing Ziva?” Gibbs asked, taking a threating step toward Tony.

               “What? No! Well, not more than usual, if you call that harassing, Boss?” Tony was really starting to get nervous.

               “Do you know why Ziva wants you to ‘stop loving her’?”

               “Uh. . . no, Boss, I don’t,” Tony swallowed and leaned hard against the elevator wall.

               Gibbs softened slightly, “You love her?”

               “Well, _yeah_. She told you?”

               “Nope, she told Abby.”

               Tony took a deep breath, “This isn’t her fault. We didn’t break Rule 12, not for lack of trying on my part. _She_ turned _me_ down.”

               “Oh, don’t worry, she isn’t the one in trouble,” Gibbs started the elevator up again and it headed back down. “Just don’t try any of your—”

               “I don’t plan on it,” Tony interjected quickly. Then, seeing that Gibbs was still glaring at him, he decided it was time to divert the attention away from him. So he pulled out something he’d been saving. “But, I think that McGee is the one you should be having this talk with, if you know what I mean.” Tony added as the doors opened.

               Gibbs made a noise and brushed past Ziva, still waiting in front of the elevator, before she could speak and hurried into the lab.

               “What did you do?” Ziva asked Tony as he exited the ‘meeting room’ slower than Gibbs had.

               “Threw McGee under the bus.”

               “Why?” Ziva narrowed her eyes.

               “Because he was tearing into me for what happened the other night. Did you tell Abby I'm harassing you?”

               “Of course not!” Ziva said defensively, “We need to talk. But not now. _Now_ I have to rescue McGee.” Ziva gave him a look and returned to the lab.

 

~o0o~

 

               McGee and Abby looked up from their conversation simultaneously as Gibbs came barging into the room. “Hey, Gibbs,” Abby said nervously, “What did Tony do this time?”

               “McGee,” Gibbs thundered.

               “Yes, Boss?” McGee swallowed, stealing glances back at Abby.

               “Is there anything you and Abby would like to tell me?” The couple in question shared a look. So much for deciding when to tell him.

               Ziva came in, Tony a half-step behind. “You told him?” Abby asked Ziva, disbelief in her voice.

               “ _I_ did not,” Ziva said quickly, “Tony did. And I did not tell him, either,” she added.

               “Tony!” Abby exclaimed.

               “What? He thought Ziva and I were the Rule breakers, not the two of you. I was just setting the record straight,” Tony defended himself.

               “More like saving your—”

               “McGee!” Gibbs said again, cutting him off, “Get out there!” He pointed to the door.

               “No!” Abby yelled, grabbing McGee’s arm before he could leave, “Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us. _We_ broke Rules, not just Tim.”

               “Fine,” Gibbs looked pointedly at Abby till she dropped McGee’s hand. “How could you not tell me?” Gibbs demanded, looking at Abby and then McGee.

               “We—we’re breaking the Rules . . .” Abby said uncertainly, “Why would we tell the being that created them?”

               McGee only said, “Rule 4 and Rule 18, Boss.”

               Gibbs looked at him a moment longer and then nodded, accepting that his second most senior field agent and his forensic scientist would do what they wanted, with his other field agents not far behind. “McGee, if you so much as think about hurting her—” he left the threat hanging.

               “Boss, I'm pretty sure she’ll get to me first, and leave no evidence,” McGee said, looking Gibbs in the eyes.

               “Do you really think she’d be able to do that to you?” Gibbs asked, before turning to leave. “DiNozzo!” he snapped on the way out, “Same goes for you!”

               “You don’t have to worry about me hurting Abby, Boss, she doesn’t like me that way,” Tony quipped, trying to relieve some tension.

               Gibbs stuck his head back in, “DiNozzo, do we need to have another talk in the elevator?”

               “No, Boss,” Tony said quickly.

               “Good,” Everyone in the room held their breath until they heard the ding of the ascending elevator.

 

~o0o~

 

               “I’m sorry I gave away your secret,” Ziva said directly to Abby, the first one to speak.

               “It wasn’t _you_ ,” McGee said, glaring at Tony, “How’d you know anyway?”

               “I’ll never tell,” Tony said with a smug smile.

               Before he could continue, Ziva broke in, “It was still my fault for not being as attentive as usual. I was,” Ziva glanced at Tony, “distracted.”

               “I have that affect,” Tony said. Abby was surprised at how casual the two of them were being with each other. Ziva’s confession had led her to believe that things were strained. Maybe things were strained, and this whole thing is a show.

               Ziva rolled her eyes. “Have a good night, Abby, McGee,” she said and left the lab. Tony caught up with her as she entered the elevator.

               “Hey,” he said, coming in and pressing the button. After a significant pause, he said softly, “Zi, do you know what this means?”

               She couldn’t look at him, so she didn’t respond.

               “Gibbs just gave us his sideways permission. You can’t hide behind him as an excuse anymore. Please just tell it to me straight, do you want to be with me or not?” Tony leaned against the wall of the slowly moving elevator.

               “I don’t—” Ziva broke off, sighing, “Yes, I want to be with you, Tony . . .”

               “I’m sensing a ‘but’ somewhere in this,” Tony said, sounding resigned.

               “There is no ‘but’. Unless you have one?”

               Tony perked up immediately. “Really? No ‘buts’ here. Except your extremely sexy one, but I bet commenting on it is considered obnoxious.”

               Ziva smiled, just a slight curve of her lips that made Tony happier than he’d been all day. “We still need to talk,” she said as the doors opened.

               “Okay. You want me to follow you to your place?” Tony asked, daring to put a hand on the small of her back. Ziva shot him a look, but didn’t say anything, so he left it there, slowly bringing it around until his arm was wrapped around her waist.

               “Yes. I can order take-out, if you want,” she offered, but he shook his head.

               “No, I’ll stop and get something on the way,” Tony had a plan, “So, I’ll meet you at your place in a bit?”

               “See you then,” Ziva went to go toward her car, but Tony grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him, kissing her. She made a small protesting noise, but slowly became more involved in the kiss. After they broke apart, gasping, they looked into each other’s eyes, their faces close together, until Ziva reluctantly and wordlessly got in her car and drove away.

 

~o0o~

 

               McGee was well aware that Abby had him wrapped around her finger. He didn’t want it any other way. His primary concern as Ziva and Tony were leaving (together?) was Abby’s reaction to the incident. “Hey, Abbs, are you okay?” he asked, putting a hand on her arm.

               “Me? Yeah, Timmy,” Abby started gathering her things, “What about you? I'm sorry Gibbs went all ‘father-with-a-shotgun’ on you.”

               “More like ‘father-who’s-a-Marine’,” McGee said and Abby snorted. “I expected worse, not, well, not his permission,” he sighed, “But I don’t think I’ll get his approval.”

               “Aw, Tim. He wouldn’t give just anyone,” Abby said reassuringly, rubbing McGee’s back.

               “He never cared about any of your other boyfriends,” McGee said bitterly.

               Abby laughed outright at that one, “He had nothing to worry about with _any_ of my other ‘boyfriends’! He knows I'm serious about you,” Abby made a disparaging noise. “You’re my first boyfriend I've ever been serious about.”

               McGee felt his heart speed up, “Really? I’m your boyfriend?”

               “Uh, _yeah_. Did you miss that whole fiasco with Gibbs?” Abby rolled her eyes.

               McGee followed her out of the lab, feeling stupid. “Well, yeah, but, Abbs, you don’t have boyfriends, you have—”

               “Boytoys, I know,” Abby cut in sharply. Why couldn’t McGee see that he’d brought her out of that stage? “I told you, I’m actually serious about you, and making this work.”

               “And I think that’s great, Abby,” McGee smiled but then groaned. “All my stuff is at my desk. I was hoping to sneak away like Tony and Ziva did.”

               “Wow, Tim, you really are a naught boy, hiding from Daddy,” Abby teased, pecking his cheek lightly, “I’ll wait for you in the elevator. ”McGee rolled his eyes at her reluctance to face Gibbs herself and stepped out of the elevator.

               Gibbs was at his desk, drinking coffee and reading what was probably the case file. McGee hurriedly crossed to his desk, grabbed his laptop, bag and coat. Knowing he was insane for doing it, he stopped in front of Gibbs’ desk and cleared his throat.

               Gibbs glanced up sharply, “What, McGee?”

               “Uh, Boss, I just wanted to say that I have no intention of hurting Abby.”

               “Yeah? Anything else you want to tell me?” Gibbs took a sip of his coffee without breaking eye contact with McGee.

               McGee swallowed. This was obviously a test. “I want to do whatever it takes to make her happy, Boss,” he said, holding his head up.

               “No, McGee. Not good enough. Making her happy is a best friend’s job. Promise me you’ll do what’s best for her, no matter it if makes her happy or not. _That_ is a boyfriend’s job.” Gibbs set his coffee down.

               “I promise, Boss.” Gibbs nodded and went back to his case file, obviously dismissing McGee. McGee slipped out, thinking about what Gibbs had said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rule 4: The best way to keep a secret is to keep it to yourself. Second best: tell one other person if you must. There is no third best.
> 
> Rule 18: It’s better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.


	3. Do You Do This for Every Girl Who Invites You Over?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony goes to Ziva's and McGee goes to Abby's.

               “Hey, Zi, you here?” Tony hollered into her apartment.

               “In the kitchen,” Ziva called back.

               “I’m coming in with Grandma DiNozzo’s famous alfredo penne. Where do you want it?” he asked, entering the kitchen with his dish.

               “I thought you were picking something up?” Ziva said in surprise.

               “I did. I picked up these leftovers from my place. It won’t take long to warm ‘em up, if I can use your oven.”

               Ziva gestured to it wordlessly. She watched as Tony efficiently started the pasta reheating. When he was done he turned to face her, leaning against the counter. “Hi . . .” he said, smiling.

               “Hello, Tony,” Ziva laughed. She’d changed in the time it took Tony to get there, now she was in a black tank top and jeans, but her hair was still up in a bun from work.

               Tony frowned and took a step toward her. Ziva thought he was going to kiss her again, he had proven to be quite abrupt with that, but instead he stopped in front of her and reached a hand out to cup her face. She raised an eyebrow expectantly. Still without an explanation, Tony slid his hand around the back of her head and pulled her hair down, running his fingers through it gently.

               “What are you doing?” Ziva finally asked.

               “Your hair, it hasn’t been down all day,” Tony said, slowly pulling his hand away. Now her curls were falling around her face.

               “What is it with DiNozzo men and my hair?” Ziva asked, rolling her eyes, but she sounded breathless.

               “I love your hair, Zi. You should war it down more,” Tony said, twirling a strand between two fingers, still extremely close to her.

               The oven dinged, breaking the moment. Tony smirked when Ziva let out a small sigh and went to tend to his pasta. Ziva set her small table, Tony served the plates, and they sat down to a nice meal.

               “Remember the first day we met?” Tony asked, continuing their earlier conversation.

               Ziva smiled, “You were pretending to have phone sex.”

               “Yeah,” Tony laughed with her, “And you were doing everything in your power to turn me into a puddle on the floor.”

               “Not everything.” Ziva said casually, still smiling.

               “Well, anyway, I you should know that even with all your sexy tricks, I didn’t melt until you took your hair down.”

               Ziva made a face. “What is so special about my hair?” she asked again, grabbing a piece of it and holding it in front of her face for inspection.

               Tony shrugged, “I can’t explain it, sweetcheeks.”

               Ziva rolled her eyes and took her first bite of Tony’s pasta. Then another. And another.

               “Slow down, Zi, it’s not going anywhere,” Tony teased, laughing.

               “This is amazing, Tony,” Ziva said, “I had no idea you could cook like this!”

               “It’s the Italian. I can make pasta, and not much else,” Tony smirked, “What about you? When will you cook for me? Cooking is one of your fortes, right?”

               Ziva bit her lip, “You could say that.”

               “You’re just the complete package, then, huh?” Tony asked, also taking a bite.

               “Am I? What makes me a ‘complete package’?”

               “Let’s see, you can kill people, look sexy at any given moment, mess up the English language better than anyone I know, you’re a great kisser, and you can seduce men in general with just a look.”

               Ziva played with the condensation on her glass, not meeting Tony’s eyes, “Is that what I did with you?”

               Tony sighed, “Ziva, that’s not at all what I meant.”

               Ziva nodded once, reassured, and smiled mischievously, “So, Tony, if I wanted to seduce you, would you let me?”

               “Does seducing include just sex, or making me fall in love?” Tony sounded surprisingly thoughtful.

               “Which would you prefer?”

               “Oh, I’d let you get away with either. I was just curious.” Tony laced his fingers together.

               Ziva continued to play with her glass and avoid eye contact. “You love me, yes?” Tony looked confused and nodded his affirmation. “Then did I not already accomplish the second qualification?”

               Tony’s eyebrows scrunched together, “Well, yeah, I guess so. I hadn’t thought about it that way. But you weren’t doing it just to seduce me,” he paused, “Were you?”

               “No, not exactly,” Ziva leaned back in her seat and smiled slyly, “Now all that’s left is that first type of seduction, right, Tony?”

               “Nope, we got that covered,” Tony replied easily. Ziva raised an eyebrow. “What do you call that first night undercover?” he asked in response to her silent query.

               “I call that going undercover,” Ziva shrugged.

               “So it meant nothing to you?” Tony asked carefully, his expression guarded.

               “I did not say that. I said that it was undercover. I cannot allow it to mean anything. At least, I couldn’t then.”

               “What about now?”

               “Now, I think I will have to see.”

               “See what?”

               Ziva drained her glass, “What type of man you are.”

               Tony nodded. “I’m the type not to show up to a first date without a gift.”

               “Is this a date, Tony?” Ziva stood to clear the table. Tony immediately jumped up to help.

               “Well, I thought so.”

               “Good.” Ziva deposited the last of the dished in the dishwasher, “So what is this gift?”

               “Uh, it’s gifts actually.”

               “There is more than one?”

               “Yeah, stay here, I’ll go get them,” Tony grabbed his keys.

               “Can I at least wait in the other room?”

               “Sure!” Tony called over his shoulder.

               Ziva sat on the couch, grabbing her book of the end table read while Tony was gone. After about 15 minutes, he came back in quite noisily. When Ziva looked up from her book, he was laden with one large bag and two smaller ones. He joined her on the couch and put the bags on the coffee table.

               “Tony! What is all this?” Ziva demanded, slightly surprised he would go to so much trouble.

               “ _This_ is a testament to how awesome I am.” Tony said, grinning widely.

Ziva rolled her eyes. “When did you have time to do this?” she asked, reaching for a bag, but Tony smacked her hand away.

“Uh, I bought some of it after you showed up at my apartment. But once I just picked up tonight,” he said. Out of the first small bag, Tony deftly revealed a small bouquet of slightly wilted roses and a box of assorted chocolates. “First, I thought I’d go traditional,” he passed her the gifts. She smiled a little, smelling the flowers. “Then I thought I’d go classy and get you some type of jewelry, but I've never seen you wear anything other than that,” he pointed. Ziva unconsciously touched the necklace hanging at her throat as Tony pulled out what was in the second small bag.

“Tony, that is a stuffed bear,” Ziva said, reaching for it. As Tony handed it over, she noticed a delicate silver bracelet around its neck. It had a silver butterfly worked into the design.

“Yeah, the bear came with the bracelet and you said you had stuffed animals when you were twelve and—”

“Liar. They have separate tags,” Ziva said, almost offhandedly, fingering the tag on the bracelet. “Tony! This is expensive!”

Tony completely ignored her last comment. “Okay, so after I bought the bracelet, I thought about how you held that stuffed animal that one time, so I bought the bear. Do you like it?” he asked, running a hand through his hair.

“Of course I do,” Ziva hugged the little blue animal. “But should I be worried about what is in the big bag?”

“Yeah, so, after I bought all this stuff, I thought that maybe I should just ask a girl,” Tony continued his narrative of his gift getting dilemmas. “I called Abby, and she said—” he reached into the final bag and pulled out one of his T-shirts, “that you should have one of my shirts.”

“Are you moving in? Or is this some other American thing I do not understand?” Ziva asked, studying the shirt. It had ‘Let’s be careful out there,’ in large print on the front. “Is this a movie?” she continued, not giving him time to answer the first two questions.

“TV show, actually. _Hill Street Blues_. Abby said that girls always want their boyfriend’s shirts to sleep in . . .” Tony trailed off, half stretching the shirt out to her.

Ziva took it silently and set it on her stack of gifts. “Thank you, Tony. This is really sweet.” She snapped the top off the chocolates and offered him one first. He popped a random chocolate in his mouth, never taking his eyes off Ziva. She ate hers more slowly.

“Tony,” she said after a pause, “Why did you buy me all these things? Or do you do this for all every girl who invites you over?”

“Do I buy every girl six presents? No, I’d go broke!” Tony said, daring to put his arm around Ziva and pull her close. She was quite willing to comply, and leaned into him so that they were half-horizontal on the couch.

“Six presents? I count five, and you didn’t have to spend anything on the shirt.” Ziva said, snuggling into Tony’s chest.

“Oh, yeah, I saved the best for last.” Tony reached over and grabbed her remote, flipping the TV on. He watched Ziva’s face light up as “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” began playing through the speakers.

“Tony! You remembered?”

“Duh. And I snuck the DVD into your player, you’re welcome.”

Ziva pulled herself up so she was on level with Tony and gave him a sweet kiss. “Thank you, my Little Hairy Butt.”

“Anytime, sweetcheeks.”

 

~o0o~

 

“Abby?”

“Yes, McGee?”

“That’s a bed.”

“Yes, McGee.”

McGee blinked. “When did that happen?”

“Last week.”

“You bought a bed?”

“Yes, McGee, try to keep up.”

“Why?”

Abby shrugged and looked at the bed over her shoulder from where she was standing by her dresser. “I figured you might want to stay over more if you didn’t have to sleep in the coffin or on the couch.”

“Abbs—”

“I know, Timmy, I didn’t have to, but besides, I can still sleep in the coffin when you aren’t around. It’s over in the corner.” Abby pointed to it and skipped to the bed, pulling McGee down beside her. “Soo?” she looked at him expectantly.

“So . . . what?”

“So, will you stay over tonight?”

“Um . . .” McGee paused, opening and closing his mouth.

“Not what a girl wants to hear, McGee,” Abby said, giving him a look.

“I just don’t think tonight is a good night for—”

“I’m not talking about sex, Tim,” Abby said, annoyed, and collapsed backwards on the bed.

McGee leaned back too, so that they were lying side by side on the bed, feet dangling off the edge. “Well, in that case, I would love to spend the night.”

“Oh, you have no choice. We rode her in my car; you can’t leave.” Abby smiled, rolling on her side. McGee once again followed her example, and leaned up on his side as well. They looked at each other for a minute or two before Abby said, “McGee?”

“Yeah, Abbs?”

“I meant what I said earlier, you know?” Abby swallowed, “I don’t want you to think that you're just some passing fancy.”

“I know. The first time we . . . tried, I was so afraid of just being a ‘passing fancy’ that I think I drove you away. But I really do believe you, Abbs. Just know that I’ll be whatever you need, okay?”

Abby nodded and kissed him. After a while, she said, “I'm gonna go change. You can strip down to your little boxers.” She wiggled her fingers at him.

“Didn’t I leave some sweatpants here a few weeks ago?” McGee asked.

“There over there,” Abby sighed, pointing, “You’re no fun,” she pouted before spinning away to the bathroom.

McGee just laughed.

 

~o0o~

 

“Tony?”

“Yeah, Zi?”

“Thank you. For all this.” Ziva mumbled as the last notes of the movie were fading out. They’d ended up completely horizontal with Ziva fully on top of Tony, her head on his chest and her legs between his. She’d made sure to move her stack of gifts off of the couch before they’d settled into that position (around the time Maria and the children were climbing trees). Ziva was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

“Okay, Zi, beddy-bye time,” Tony crooned teasingly.

Ziva rolled her eyes and pushed off of his chest, hard, to stand, smirking at his grunting noise.

“Do you need me to carry you to bed?” Tony asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he too sat upright.

“No thanks, I’d prefer this night not be _too_ cliché.” Ziva said, heading toward her room without a backwards glance, only pausing to pick up her gifts from the end table.

Tony watched her walk away until she reached her room, a little unsure what to do, until he saw the shirt he gave her still sitting on the coffee table. “Hey, you forgot this!” He grabbed it and followed her to her room.

“Oh, yeah, I’ll take that.” Ziva said, putting the rest of her presents on her dresser. Tony passed it over.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“It’s to sleep in, yes?” Ziva asked, holding it in front of her.

“Only if you want to . . .” Tony trailed off.

“Do you want me too?”

Tony smirked, “I’d prefer if you’d wear a little less, but—” Ziva’s fist to his gut cut him off. He grinned at her as she disappeared into the bathroom.

“Not tonight, my Hairy Butt.”

When Ziva came back wearing his favorite T-shirt (he hadn’t told her how important it was to him) and not much else, he struggled to make his brain work, much less keep his eyes off of her. He’d been having that problem all night, but now he didn’t even try. Ziva gave him a weird look, probably in response to his staring, and slipped into bed.

Tony stood awkwardly at the foot of her bed, not sure if he should leave. Ziva looked at him expectantly for a minute before snapping, “For God’s sake, Tony, come here.” She patted the bed beside her.

“Are you sure?” Tony asked, even as he was getting into bed next to her.

“I’m sure. I would like to sleep without nightmares tonight. That is, if you want to stay?”

“A beautiful, sexy woman asks me to sleep in her bed and you expect me to say no?” Tony teased, sliding out of his pants. Ziva helped him with his shirt. He put an arm around her and pulled her into his chest. Tenderly kissing the top of her head, he whispered, “Night, Zi.”

 

~o0o~

 

The next morning, both couples woke up happy. When Ziva woke up she patted Tony’s face to wake him up and sauntered over to her bathroom. “Tony?” she called back into the bedroom. He groaned something unintelligible from the bed. “Well, I was going to invite you in here with me, but if you’d rather sleep. . .” she trailed off teasingly. Tony perked up real quick, but she’d already shut the door, laughing. Muttering about the cruelty of women, Tony slipped into his clothes from the day before for the trip to his car to grab an extra change of clothes. He had breakfast ready for Ziva by the time she was done in the shower.

“Thank you, Tony,” she said, accepting the cup of coffee and sitting in the offered chair. “This is nice.”

“It’s the least I could do. . .” Tony shrugged.

“Least you could do for what?” Ziva asked, spreading butter on her toast.

“Letting me stay. Giving up your morning run to snuggle with me this morning. Giving us a chance,” he added softer.

Ziva swallowed. “It’s the least I could do.”

 

A few miles closer to the naval base, in Abby’s bedroom, McGee woke up first to find his girlfriend snuggled into his chest. He had no earthly desire to move, but they were late already, according to the clock on Abby’s little table. He still couldn’t believe she’d bought a bed. It was a comfy one, too. Or maybe it was his company that made it so great.

But it was time to get up. “Abby,” McGee gently shook her shoulder.

“Tim,” Abby mumbled, sounding annoyed, “Why are you getting me up so early without a Caf-Pow?”

“Uh, because we only have about an hour to get to work before Gibbs kills me.”

Abby rolled over to look at the clock. “ _McGee!_ We have a little over two hours. We’re fine.” She turned back over and buried her head in his chest.

“But the clock says—”

“I know what it says, Timmy. I set it back an hour so I'm never late.”

McGee groaned, thumping back into the pillows. “And you didn’t tell me this?”

“Well, now that we’re awake . . .” Abby trailed off, biting her lip.

McGee lifted his head up again. “Let me guess, you want me to get you a Caf-Pow?”

“You know me so well, Timmy.”

 

~o0o~

 

Two hours later, Tony and McGee came face to face. Abby and McGee came in only about a quarter hour after Ziva and Tony did, still on time. Abby bounced over to Ziva’s desk to talk quietly, leaving McGee and Tony standing facing each other in the center of the bullpen.

“So, McGoo, I noticed your car spent the night here. Did you spend the night in it, or with Abby?”

McGee rolled his eyes, “What about you, Tony? Were you with Ziva all night?”

Tony smiled, “Oh, yeah. But I want to talk about you. Did you McGet you some, McSmooth?”

“We just slept. Abby got a bed. You?”

“Just slept.” Tony didn’t seem upset by the admission.

“Really?” McGee raised an eyebrow.

“Really?” Tony mimicked.

McGee narrowed his eyes. Tony narrowed his eyes. Abby and Ziva, from their spot off to the side, rolled their eyes.

“Really, McGee, DiNozzo. Grab your gear, we got a body,” Gibbs said, entering the bullpen with his signature coffee. He waved to Abby and ushered the team out, smiling slightly.


	4. Can't You See She Needs It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ziva and Abby both have a heart to heart with Gibbs.

               Later that day, Tony and McGee were back at the base, interviewing a witness, and Ziva and Gibbs were on their way to a suspect’s house. Ziva spent the first few minutes of the drive mutely staring at the blur out the window. She was working up the courage to talk to Gibbs about N.C.I.S.’s current . . . situation.

               “Gibbs?” Ziva finally asked, looking over at him from the passenger seat.

               “Yeah, Zeev?” Gibbs never took his eyes off traffic.

               “I just wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday.”

               “Don’t apo—”

               “Gibbs! Please, for once, stop spouting Rules and actually react!” Ziva interrupted, exasperated.

               “React? Fine! How could you and Tony expect me to be anything but supportive of you having an stable relationship? Especially since you really love each other. How could you hide things from me?” Gibbs demanded.

               Ziva opened and closed her mouth, “Because of the Rules . . .” she trailed off.

               Gibbs sighed. His whole damn team had been using that excuse lately. “The Rules are designed to keep the team safe, able to do the job, and as an extension, happy,” he looked over at her as best he could while still navigating the vehicle. “They aren’t absolute, Ziver.”

               “What?”

               “Rule 12 was originally a guideline I set for myself.”

               “You mean Jenny.” It was a statement, not a question.

               Gibbs didn’t respond to her mention of his former partner, only adding, “And for Tony, in his earlier years. I couldn’t have him impregnating a secretary. I want to be a part of your life, of the whole team’s live, outside of N.C.I.S. I’m not going to be a bad guy unless I have to be.”

               “Thank you, Gibbs,” Ziva said choosing to let the subject drop. She’d had no idea that Gibbs was upset because they contrived to keep him out of the loop. “Wait, then why did you terrorize Tony and McGee yesterday?”

               “It’s my job,” Gibbs said, giving her a look.

               “Abby was right, you are acting like a disgruntled father,” Ziva teased.

               “Someone has to.”

               Ziva didn’t have time to respond to the allusion of her own father’s shortcomings because the ringing of Gibbs’s phone interrupted all conversation. “Gibbs,” he answered, turning off the highway.

               “Hey, Boss, where are you?” McGee’s voice came crackling through the tiny phone speakers.

               “About ten minutes out. Whatcha got?”

               “Richard Caine is your man,” McGee said, naming the suspect whose house Gibbs and Ziva were approaching.

               “The fiancé?” Ziva asked, overhearing some of the conversation, “He killed the girl and the Petty Officer? Was there an affair?”

               Gibbs repeated the question into the phone. He heard a smack and then Tony came on the line. “No, Boss, no affair. As far as we can tell, all Petty Officer Price did was offer to pay for her coffee at Starbucks. The warrant came through, too, not that we need that anymore.”

               Gibbs hung up and hit the accelerator, filling Ziva in. Within two and a half minutes, they were running up Caine’s yard.

               Ziva automatically slipped around back. She waited until she heard Gibbs enter and begin the customary “NCIS! Put your hands in the air!” before following suit and entering the house. The door she came in was to a sort of home office, complete with a few bookshelves, a desk, computer . . . and Richard Caine cowering in the corner.

               After Gibbs heard Ziva’s yell that she’d found him, he appeared in the doorway, saying, “The rest of the house is clear.”

               Ziva didn’t appear to have heard him. She was too busy listening to Caine’s mumblings. “She’s dead, how did I do it, she’d dead,” Caine didn’t seem to know that Ziva and Gibbs were even in the room. Snapping out of her reverie, Ziva approached the man. Caine made no move to resist as she cuffed him and recited his Miranda rights.

               “Take him to the car,” Gibbs said. “We need a confession.”

               “Car interrogation?”

               Gibbs nodded his affirmation, “Record it.”

               Ziva pushed Caine into the backseat and surreptitiously flipped the recorder on. She slid into the backseat beside him. Gibbs started the engine and squealed onto the road.

               “So, Richard,” Gibbs said casually, “Why’d you kill your fiancée?”

               “I love her,” Caine said, which was an improvement, since now he was actually responding.

               “Then why did you kill her,” Ziva repeated softly, “And Petty Officer Price?”

               “She loves me. Not him.” Caine clenched and unclenched his jaw, jerking against the handcuffs.

               “There is no evidence that your fiancée and the Petty Officer were having an affair,” Gibbs said, jerking into heavier traffic.

               “I know,” Caine said, the first semi-lucid reply they’d gotten out of him.

               “You knew?” Ziva asked, surprised, “Then why did you kill him?”

               “He contaminated her. It’s his fault,” Caine said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

               “He bought her a damn coffee!” Gibbs banged on the steering wheel, but Caine didn’t flinch.

               “Why is she gone?” Caine whispered, ignoring Gibbs.

               “Because you killed her! You—”

               Ziva cut him off, “That’s all we’re going to get, Gibbs.” They spent the rest of the ride in silence, broken only by Caine’s mumblings.

 

~o0o~

 

               Gibbs uncharacteristically offered to bring Caine to the police hand off, so Ziva made a beeline for the bullpen and Tony.

               Tony looked up from his case report to see Ziva striding out of the elevator and heading purposefully his way. He jumped to his feet, at first thinking she was mad at him. She had a peculiar look on her face.

               Instead of punching him, as he half expected, Ziva threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. “Uh, Zi?” Tony put his arms around her hesitantly, “Are you okay?”

               “Yes,” she said softly, but had no inclination of moving anytime soon.

               “Do you two need a minute?” Gibbs asked as he walked in.

               “Yeah, Boss, I think so,” Tony said over Ziva’s shoulder, still slightly confused. Gibbs nodded once. Tony looked down at his partner. “Ziva? What happened?”

               Ziva sighed, “Caine just reminded me why I used to be scared to love. He kept muttering, saying he loved her, but he strangled and beat her,” she said quietly.

               Tony didn’t know quite how to respond. He must have looked completely helpless, because Gibbs yelled from over at his desk, “DiNozzo!”

               “Yeah, Boss?”

               “Kiss her already. Can’t you see she needs it?” Gibbs snapped, rolling his eyes and turning back to his computer.

               Ziva laughed a little and looked up at Tony raising her eyebrows. Tony flashed his signature grin and followed orders, cupping her face in his hand and pulling her away from him so he could bend over slightly.

               Tony did a good job of keeping the kiss appropriate and after Ziva pulled back, she headed over to her desk without a word, throwing a look back at Tony.

               “You okay, Ziver?” Gibbs asked without looking up.

               “Better, yes,” Ziva replied, pulling some paperwork towards herself.

 

~o0o~

 

               After McGee finished up his part of the post-case work, he headed down to Abby’s lab. He’d witnessed Tony and Ziva kissing in the bullpen with Gibbs watching on, and making no move to stop them. Now, McGee needed a little cheering up, because he had a sneaking suspicion that Gibbs would have acted completely different if it had been Abby and himself.

               Shaking off the bits of jealousy in his chest, he came up behind Abby and reached around her to replace her Caf-Pow. He dropped a kiss on her exposed shoulder. “Abbs, I’ve got a question for you. If a pair of identical twins gets married to a pair of identical twins, would their children be siblings or cousins?” he asked.

               Abby glanced back at him, smiling and turned back to her computer.  She was a bit used to off the wall statements. “Hinky. Genetically, they could be classified as siblings. Why? Meet any married twins?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

               “I was just curious. Plot line in the next book. Would you be able to from the DNA that they weren’t technical siblings?”

               “I don’t know.” Abby looked thoughtful for a moment. “My turn. Why isn’t ‘contage’ a word?”

               “What?”

               Abby sighed, “C’mon, Timmy, when something is infectious, it infects you. Why doesn’t something contagious contage you?”

               “I have no idea. Sounds like a question Ziva would ask.”

               “She’s the one that asked me.” Abby paused like she was waiting for something, and then said, “Your turn.”

               “My turn for what?” McGee asked, wrapping his arms around Abby from behind and stealing a sip of her Caf-Pow.

               “Aren’t we going back and forth asking questions?”

               “Sure, I guess,” McGee thought a minute. “If you had to choose, would you rather give up me, or caffeine?”

               “Which part of you?” Abby arched an eyebrow suggestively and then continued semi-seriously, “Um, I don’t need caffeine to live, but then again, I don’t need you to live, either. I’ve given up caffeine before, and that didn’t turn out well. I need caffeine to do the job, which keeps the streets clear of killers and other nasty people. Caffeine is what keeps me going . . . but I’d still pick you,” she concluded, grinning at the way McGee’s face lit up.

               “Wow, Abby, for a minute I was worried,” McGee went to kiss her cheek, but she purposely turned her head so his lips landed on hers. Not that he minded.

               After she kissed him sweetly, Abby continued teasing him, “You’re so insecure, Timmy.”

               “I thought you called me down here to tell me something I don’t know, Abbs,” Gibbs said from the door.

               “Hey, Gibbs,” Abby said, spinning further away from McGee.

               “Case is over, why am I down here?” Gibbs asked, glancing over at McGee and nodding at him.

               “We need to talk,” Abby pulled him toward her desk farther in her lab.

               “You and Ziva with your talks,” Gibbs said, and only because it was Abby, he allowed himself to be pulled along.

               McGee stood awkwardly in the sliding door, not sure if Abby wanted him there. “Shoo, McGee, I’ll be up later,” Abby said, answering his unspoken question and waving him away. He left, curious what Abby was up to.

               Abby sat in her rolling chair and gestured for Gibbs to sit in the other one. She propped her foot on the corner of his seat, taking a sip of her Caf-Pow. Gibbs looked down at her foot and back up at her pointedly until she moved her foot. “You want to talk about McGee?” Gibbs asked after a pause.

               “Daughter doesn’t like it when Daddy disapproves of her boyfriend,” Abby said.

               “I don’t disapprove, Abbs.”

               “McGee thinks you're mad at him. “

               “He tell you that?”

               “No, but I can tell,” Abby sighed, “He tries so hard, Gibbs.” He didn’t respond, so Abby continued, “Is it because you don’t want me to get hurt? Or because we broke the Rule? Or—”

               “Did you ever think it’s because you kept secrets from me?” Gibbs looked Abby in the eyes, “You’re right, I’m like a father, and I want to know what’s important in your life. You kept a major part off your life, both of your lives, from me for six months. How can I trust you?”

               “I don’t know, Gibbs. But McGee was right when he said Rule 4 and Rule 18. We were afraid to ask for permission, so we had to keep it secret. I didn’t realize Rule 12 could be broken,” Abby said quietly, finally understanding Gibbs’s point of view.

               “Rule 14,” Gibbs paused.

               “Bend the line, don’t break it,” Abby supplied.

               Gibbs nodded, “That applies to 12. The two of you, and Tony and Ziva, have not broken anything.” He stood, “Tell McGee I'm not mad at him. And he does have my blessing. Tell him I said ‘Rule 51’.”

               Gibbs made it to the door before Abby called after him, “It would mean more to him if it came from you.”

               “Rules apply to me as well, Abbs. And 6 is one of my favorites.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rule 4: The best way to keep a secret is to keep it to yourself. Tell one other person if you must. There is no third best.  
> Rule 18: It’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission  
> Rule 14: Bend the line, don’t break it  
> Rule 51: Sometimes—you’re wrong.  
> Rule 6: Never say you’re sorry; it’s a sign of weakness.


	5. Rule 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion!

               After gathering her things, Abby headed up to the bullpen. Spotting McGee at his desk, clicking away at his computer, she slipped up behind him and leaned against his back with her head over his shoulder. “You ready to go?” she said into his ear.

               Without hesitation, McGee shut off his computer game and grabbed his bag. Smirking, Abby grabbed his hand and lead him to the elevator. She’d have to talk to him about her conversation with Gibbs, but right now she was in a different sort of mood.

               As the elevator doors shut, McGee reached over and pressed the button, leaning over Abby. “You want to hit the emergency stop, or shall I?” she asked, grabbing his shirt and pulling him toward her.

               “Abby, we’re still at work,” McGee warned, more to give her a chance to opt out than because he was opposed to it. She just smiled, with a look in her eyes that drove him crazy, and kissed him. He kissed back fiercely, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he pushed her back against the elevator wall.

               When the elevator dinged the second floor, McGee knew he needed to stop, so he backed up and let her down. “That was very Tony-ish of you, Tim,” Abby said, wiping the traces of lipstick off of McGee’s mouth, still smiling devilishly at him.

               As the exited the elevator they made a silent agreement to get into McGee’s car.  Barely waiting a second, and not sure where his normal attitude went, McGee pulled her over toward him to deliver a powerful kiss in the front seat. He ended up pressed in between the seats with the center console jammed into his back, not that he really noticed. Abby ended up on top of him. She pulled away enough to breathe, noses still touching. “I love you, Abbs,” he said, panting slightly.

               Abby smiled. “I know,” she whispered the cliché and kissed him again. McGee moved his kisses down her jawline and neck, unclipping her dog collar and managing to carefully place it on the dashboard while not removing his mouth from her skin. Eventually he made his way back up to her lips.

               After an immeasurable amount of time, McGee mumbled into Abby’s mouth, “We should go.”

               “Why? I’m comfortable,” Abby replied, not moving.

               “Gibbs will notice if both of our cars are still here. You want him interrupting this?”

               Abby groaned and got off of him. McGee chuckled, and did his best to drive safely to Abby’s apartment, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so, what with the smiles Abby kept sending his way and the hand that kept drifting over to his knee.

               When they pulled up, Abby had barely time to get out of the car before McGee scooped her up bridal style. “Timmy, what are you expecting?” she teased.

               “Absolutely nothing,” McGee said, blushing at his earlier conduct, and setting her on the couch.

               “That’s disappointing,” Abby said, prompting more blushing.

               McGee took a deep breath, “I’m sorry I—”

               “Shut up, and do it again.”

 

~o0o~

 

               Tony and Ziva headed home separately, after being duly chastised by the director for their kiss in the bullpen. They’d agreed that it would be better if they didn’t start out sleeping in the same bed every night. When they stood facing each other in the elevator that afternoon, they stood awkwardly, neither knowing what the other wanted. Tony had just opened his mouth to ask Ziva if she wanted to come over when she said, "Tony, I think it would be better if we do not make a habit out of sleeping together.” Tony laughed, and Ziva was quick to clarify, “I mean, I think that maybe we should take this a little slower, you know? The other night was a special circumstance, and maybe we can start slow and work up?”

               “Oh,” Tony said shortly. “Right. Of course.”

               So, Tony was headed home, mulling things over and wishing Ziva was in his passenger seat. He was a bit conflicted, as he didn’t want to move too fast and repeat past mistakes, but moving slow was killing him. But Ziva had asked to take it slow, so it really didn’t matter, did it, because he loved her too much to push anything anyway.

               Ziva drove to her apartment, ignoring horns, and also deep in thought. She had been the one who suggested going slow, so why did she feel like it was the wrong decision? Something was nagging in the back of her mind. Muttering a few choice words at the next red light, she came to a stop and executed a perfectly illegal U-turn, speeding through traffic in the opposite direction.

 

~o0o~

 

               After a lot more kissing (and blushing on McGee’s part), Abby and McGee ended up in her kitchen, eating ice cream. McGee had discovered early on that Abby was about as well stocked with ice cream as she was with Caf-Pow. For a few minutes, they stood face to face, leaning back against opposite counters and silently eating their ice cream. Then McGee spoke up.

               “Abbs, I've been thinking.” She raised an eyebrow, but made no comment, so he continued.

               “Before,” he said, meaning the first time they’d dated, “we ended badly, and I don’t know about you, but my heart was in a million little pieces by the time it was all over. I tried so hard to let you do your own thing, I didn’t chase you—”

               “But I wanted you to,” Abby broke in softly.

               “I know that now. I made a mess of the whole thing, so I just wanted to say that this is me following Rule 45.”

               Abby’s eyes widened, “McGee, you’re scaring me, that’s the kind of speech someone makes before they propose, not when they’re just chatting over ice cream.”

               McGee laughed, “Sorry, I just thought you should know.”

               Abby laughed along with him, but later, after their empty bowls were put away and they were cuddling on the couch with the TV on some mindless show, she turned to McGee and said, “Would you ever consider it?”

               “Consider what?” McGee looked down at Abby, who was leaning against his shoulder.

               “Proposing.”

               “Of course I’d consider it,” McGee answered immediately, “I mean, I don’t think either if us are ready for it now, but, yeah, eventually.”

               “What do you think we are ready for, Timmy?”

               There was an audible pause, “I hate to sound like Tony, but is this one of those questions women ask just to get men in trouble?”

               Abby smiled and sat up to look at him, “No, it’s one of those questions women ask when they want their boyfriend to move in with them.”

               “What?” McGee was completely surprised.

               “You heard me, but what I didn’t hear is an answer, Tim.”

               “Well, yeah, I want to! Are you sure you want me to?” McGee was quick to second guess her offer.

               Abby just rolled her eyes and didn’t grace his stupid question with a response. McGee couldn’t stop smiling from that point until he told the news to the team the next morning. Gibbs’s warning head slap knocked the smile away for a second, but not long.

              

~o0o~

 

               Ziva found herself once again nervously preparing to knock on Tony’s door thanks to a snap decision. She wasn’t sure if it should worry her that she seemed to be making a habit out of this.

               Tony’s only comment when he opened the door was, “Well, this is a bit of déjà vu.”

               Ziva smiled, “You have no idea.”

               “So, you actually know what déjà vu means?” Tony asked teasingly, stepping back so she could come inside, but she stayed in the hall.

               “My French _is_ better than my English, Tony.”

               “That’s funny, English isn’t my best language either, wanna know what is?” Tony continues bantering, but he was a bit confused as to why Ziva preferred to stay in the doorway. Was something up?

               “The language of love?” Ziva arched and eyebrow.

               “You read my mind, you insane little ninja. So, what’s up?” Tony asked, slightly nervously.

               Ziva sighed, “I made a mistake, Tony, and didn’t follow a Rule.”

_Crap, she’s gonna break up with me._

               “I was driving home and I realized that in our line of work, well, we never know what might happen. I do not know about you, but I cannot afford to discount Rule 8.” Ziva pushed her hair out of her face, “If we take this too slow just because we’re afraid of going too fast, then something could happen and it could all be over,” she looked into his face, her eyes begging him to understand.

               Tony, feeling incredibly idiotic for his earlier line of thought, grinned. “I completely agree,” he mock bowed to her and once more moved aside to let her in. This time she entered, grinning back at him. “I love you, Zi.”

               “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rule 45: Clean up your messes  
> Rule 8: Don’t take anything for granted
> 
> Also, if you liked this, there is another story in this headcanon called Rule 8. It's a kidfic collection of one-shots.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of a small series/headcanon thingy of mine. The next story is a kidfic called Rule 8.
> 
> In case you don't know Gibbs' rules as well as I do:  
> Rule 12:Never date a coworker (I think every shipper in the fandom knows this one)  
> Rule 6: Never apologize; it's a sign of weakness.
> 
> (Also, I don't know what's up with the weird thing where some of it is indented and some isn't. Does anyone know how to fix that?)


End file.
